Endurance... the sports car racing blog: February 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

United Autosports plans 2018 Rolex 24 bid

England's United Autosports will tackle the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2018 using a Ligier JS P217. Young American racer Will Owen is the first driver nominated to pilot the World Endurance Championship-specification LMP2 chassis.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/138412-united-autosports-plans-2018-rolex-24-bid

Pirelli World Challenge Entry List For St. Pete

Quite the entry has been put together for the opening round of the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge Championship, on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. NASportscar.com, has the details.

http://nasportscar.com/pirelli-world-challenge-entry-list-for-st-pete/

Monday, February 27, 2017

Porsche Completes First Test With 2017-Spec 919 Hybrid

Porsche has completed the first test with its full 2017-specification LMP1 challenger this week at Motorland Aragon, ahead of the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship season.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/porsche-completes-first-test-with-2017-spec-919-hybrid/

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Sebring IMSA Test Notebook - Notes From The Paddock

Montoya, Franchitti, Lynn, Gavin... and more!

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/02/25/sebring-imsa-test-notebook-notes-from-the-paddock.html

Saturday, February 25, 2017

2017 12 Hours of Sebring testing

Video from Lanky Turtle of the recent test session on the fabled, rough old runways at Sebring International Raceway, for the upcoming 65th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, that will take place in three weeks time.

Friday, February 24, 2017

LMP1 News Notebook, Testing & Designing!

For 2017 - and beyond.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/02/24/lmp1-news-notebook-testing-and-designing.html

IMSA news update

The latest IMSA news via Sportscar365, including coverage of testing at Sebring International Raceway before the 12 Hours of Sebring that will happen in a few weeks.

Porsche Confirms Bruni; Set for Mid-Season IMSA Effort
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/bruni-confirmed-at-porsche-set-for-mid-season-imsa-effort/

Franchitti Confirmed at Mazda for 12H Sebring
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/franchitti-confirmed-at-mazda-for-12h-sebring/

Sebring Wednesday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/sebring-wednesday-notebook-4/

PHOTOS: Sebring Wednesday Gallery
http://sportscar365.com/features/photography/photos-sebring-wednesday-photos/

Lynn: "I'm Looking to Be in a Position to Win Big Races"
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/lynn-im-looking-to-be-in-a-position-to-win-big-races/

Check out this video. This is how you do driver changes in an endurance sports car race. Corvette Racing, at the Rolex 24.

VIDEO: Inside Corvette's Driver Changes
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-inside-corvette-racings-driver-changes/

Montoya Set to Test Risi Ferrari at Sebring
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/montoya-set-to-test-risi-ferrari-at-sebring/

Albuquerque Leads Cadillac Sweep in Thursday Test at Sebring
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/albuquerque-leads-cadillac-sweep-in-thursday-test-at-sebring/

More testing takes place today, (Friday). Stay tuned for updates on that.

Ford Planning Three-Car Effort for 12H Sebring
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/ford-planning-three-car-effort-for-12h-sebring/

Sebring Thursday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/sebring-thursday-notebook-4/

Thursday, February 23, 2017

30 Years Ago: Sebring 1987

Porsche dominated the 35th running of the classic 12 Hours of Sebring, 30 years ago in 1987.

http://www.imsa.com/news/022017/30-years-ago-sebring-1987

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

34 Full-Season Entries for 24H Series

No fewer than 34 cars are set to take part in the entire 24H Series powered by Hankook, with organizers having released the full-season entry list for the international GT and touring car championship.

http://sportscar365.com/other-series/24hseries/34-full-season-entries-for-24h-series/

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Peugeot Edge Closer To LMP1 Return

Three-time winners of their home race, (in 1992, '93, and 2009), Peugeot, could return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Recent statements from Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA (Peugeot Citroen) seem to indicate positive movement towards a potential return to LMP1 competition.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/02/20/peugeot-edge-closer-to-lmp1-return.html

Beaumesnil: "No Mountain to Climb" for DPi's in LMP1 Privateer

ACO Sporting Director Vincent Beaumesnil has admitted IMSA's DPi cars could be easily made eligible for LMP1 Privateer competition, although dismissing rumors the FIA and ACO could eventually adopt the entire platform.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/beaumesnil-no-mountain-to-climb-for-dpis-in-lmp1-privateer/

Monday, February 20, 2017

Big news update from the FIA World Endurance Championship

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Porsche Confirm Bruni as Factory GT Driver

Testing from June - racing in IMSA from July.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/02/19/porsche-confirm-bruni-as-factory-gt-driver.html

Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge: BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona

Round one of the 2017 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge from Daytona International Speedway, the four hour BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona.

http://imsatv.imsa.com/video/022017/2017-bmw-endurance-challenge-daytona-broadcast

Next up for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is a two hour event in support of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. The Sebring 120 takes place in less than a month.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

more IMSA headlines

Le Mans 24 Hours regulars Greaves and Murphy plotting 2018 returns

Stalwart teams at Le Mans, Greaves Motorsport and Murphy Prototypes, are taking a sabbatical for this year's race, but vow to return to Circuit de la Sarthe in 2018.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128062/greaves-and-murphy-plotting-2018-returns

Friday, February 17, 2017

Continental Tire Responds To Team Concerns After Significant Issues at Daytona

Failures and short supplies.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/02/17/continental-tire-responds-to-team-concerns-after-significant-issues-at-daytona.html

Road to Le Mans Returns With A Second Race Added

Two 55 minute support races, will be run by the Road To Le Mans, in support of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, in June.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/02/17/road-to-le-mans-returns-with-a-second-race-added.html

34 Entries Set for Sebring Test

34 cars are set to take part in a test session at Sebring International Raceway next week (Thursday February 23rd, and Friday, February 24th), before the 65th running of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh From Florida, slated to be run on March 18th.

http://www.imsa.com/news/022017/34-entries-set-sebring-test-next-week

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Throwback Thursday: 50 Years Ago at Sebring International Raceway

A retrospective of the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring, and a neat factoid, that many of the manufacturers that entered cars for the 15th annual running, are also entering cars, for the 65th running.

http://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/022017/throwback-thursday-50-years-ago-sebring-international-raceway

24 Hours of Le Mans Entry List, via the FIA & ACO

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16711593_1403905216315869_6617595373465179082_n.jpg?oh=b42013dba7876be0fb99d13aa4dff588&oe=594871E1

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Bathurst 12 Hours race broadcast

Both parts of the race broadcast from the 2017 Bathurst 12 Hours, including the final half hour or so, towards the finish. Watch the video, on YouTube.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Penske Honda IMSA DPi Expected in 2018

Penske and Honda will team up for a DPi effort in IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship competition last year, and will do so, with Oreca as the chassis supplier, as the other three (Dallara, Riley/Multimatic, and Ligier). Dallara is building the Cadillac's. Riley/Multimatic has the Mazda program, and Ligier builds the cars, for Nissan.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/138173-penske-honda-imsa-dpi-expected-in-2018

Monday, February 13, 2017

Bentley Undecided On Full IGTC Campaign

Bentley Motorsport boss Brian Gush, says the brand and the team are still undecided whether they will take full part in the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

http://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/bentley-eyeing-full-igtc-campaign/

All the action from the Bathurst 12 Hours

Sunday, February 12, 2017

A Test of Endurance for Drivers and Fans

A feature story in this Sunday's New York Times about the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

A Test of Endurance for Drivers and Fans

At the Rolex 24, the only daylong pro auto race in North America, competitors and spectators alike contended with sleep deprivation and rainy, chilly weather.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/12/sports/autoracing/rolex-24-daytona.html?_r=0

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Rolex 24 Content Recap

Revisiting all the stories from the Rolex 24.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/rolex-24-content-recap-3/

Post-race from the Rolex 24

Friday, February 10, 2017

IMSA Announces Additional Updates to 2017 Fox Sports Television Package

Before we review the post-race news from the Rolex 24, an announcement that just broke today. Fox Sports has added additional TV coverage for the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, including additional coverage of the 12 Hours of Sebring.

http://www.imsa.com/news/022017/imsa-announces-additional-updates-2017-fox-sports-television-package

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Rolex 24: Hour 24 (the finish)

Inside the final hour of the 55th running of the Rolex 24. Ricky Taylor brings the #10 Cadillac to the pit lane. Four tires and fuel for the #10 Cadillac. Anything Action Express can do, they can do better. Fuel is in, and Ricky Taylor is down and away for the final time. Will it be the last stop? There will be a little more time under yellow before we go back to green. Marc Goossens will stay out, and get sufficiently far into the next stint on fuel so he can get to the flag on one more stop. Will the Cadillac's need a splash and dash? Car #90 is indeed third. Marc Goossens will get the wave around. He is just ahead of Filipe Albuquerque. Seven GTLM cars all make their way to the lane. Ford #66 pits for new Michelin tires. Fuel and tires. No driver change for any of the Ford's. Their current drivers, in all four cars, will take it to the flag.

#69 may actually change drivers. The traffic is too much for #66. Corvette goes quickest in the lane. In GTD, the lead car and the #28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche almost come together in the pit lane! Yikes! A driver change in the #29 Land Motorsports Audi R8. Alegra Motorsports is in the lead, and now it is a race to the flag. Car #90 will get back onto the lead lap. The mindset will change in the final hour. The #912 Porsche may be in the class lead in GTLM. Scoring missed a lap. #912 is now in pit lane from the race lead in class. Christopher Mies will take the #29 Audi to the flag. The #29 team did have a bad pit stop though, costing them the lead, and dropping the car to fourth in GT Daytona.

Michael Christensen leads Jeroen Bleekemolen, Andy Lally, Christopher Mies, Jeff Segal, and Lawson Aschenbach. The next car in the serial is Townsend Bell, a lap down to the leaders. The Prototypes are backing way up from the safety car, and we should get a restart this time, with 50 minutes left to run to settle this one. Contact between the #10 Cadillac and the #31 Cadillac! The #31 was in the way. He moved in reaction to the car behind and that has let car #5, the sister Action Express car, in the lead, get away. No, no, no. Mike Conway, shame on you. #31 deliberately blocks the #10 car. The #31 is sixth in Prototype, 15th in the overall.

Ricky Taylor now has to make up 4.3 seconds. Corvette C-7-R- vs. Ford GT, side by side into the Bus Stop. Dirk Mueller moves ahead of Antonio Garcia. James Calado leads GTLM in the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari. The #29 Audi threads the needle between a couple of it's competitors in GTD. That was behind the safety car. Dirk Mueller chases James Calado, and Antonio Garcia, Olivier Pla, and Tony Kanaan follow. The #29 Audi has gone from fourth to second in GTD behind Michael Christensen in the #28 Porsche. The #15 Lexus RC F GT3 has damage. The front end has broken away from the car.

It is parked at a peculiar angle at the end of the tri oval. The left side of the bonnet on the Lexus is bowed upwards. The driver will not be able to see out of that car. Jack Hawksworth is at the wheel of it. He can now inch his way across the lane. A whole flock of GTLM cars heads for turn one. Dirk Mueller is all over the back of James Calado. Antonio Garcia and Patrick Pilet are also back there. Car #911 has found it's way back into the fray in GTLM. The #90 is in the lane for a splash and dash. Tires also taken on that stop. No further action on the Action Express melee. Mueller looks inside Calado into turn one. #66 is closing on the #62.

The top four scrap in GTLM is really heating up. Ferrari, Ford, Corvette, Porsche. Calado, Mueller, Garcia, Pilet. Michael Christensen leads Christopher Mies by 2.6 seconds in GTD. Lawson Aschenbach passes Jeff Segal for fourth in GTD. Andy Lally is dropping away with the damage to his Acura. The window for final pit stops from the leaders, is open. There is nothing in it between the top four in GTLM. The top four GTLM cars make their way past the GTD #48 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of Paul Miller Racing. Pilet and Garcia battle again into turn one. Ferrari, Ford, Porsche, Corvette. Too bad BMW couldn't have had a look in on this.

Pilet walks through the open door as Garcia ran a bit wide. Garcia was trying to attack Mueller and in the end, he was mugged by the Porsche and had the door slammed in his face. Filipe Albuquerque in the #5 Cadillac dives for pit lane. Fuel only to make it to the end. Albuquerque had done 14 laps, almost 50 miles, on his most recent full tank. Will Wayne Taylor's team dive for the lane? Ricky Taylor leads, putting 614 laps on the board. 2,186 miles. Calado and Mueller fight in GTLM and Pilet wants a piece of this, too. A hammer and tongs four way scrum in GTLM continues. Ricky Taylor pits the leading Cadillac with 35 minutes left.

A crewman tapes up a damaged dive plane on the left front of the car. Taylor almost stalled the 6.2 liter V8, but gets back into the race. Albuquerque now has the lead. Mueller dives inside Calado for the GTLM lead. Patrick Pilet is second, and Calado has the Corvette all over him, and he dropped like a stone. Ford, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford. Calado has lost a door mirror in that moment of argy bargy. The #5 Cadillac works its way past some of the lower positioned Prototypes. The two Cadillac's are good to race to the end. The Mueller/Calado scrap, was fair, per the marshals. Jack Hawksworth is back on track to finish the race.

Three Ford GT's run in the top six in GTLM. The gap has grown to nine seconds between the top two. Albuquerque is caught behind Marc Goossens. But, Albuquerque makes the pass. The weather has surely played a factor. The new Prototypes have been mostly reliable, especially the Cadillac's. We have another yellow. The damaged #93 Acura NSX is off the road, again. The marshals are checking in with Andy Lally and it will need to be towed. This will be a quick yellow. Ricky Taylor will be boosted by this. Ricky Taylor has three cars between himself and Filipe Albuquerque. The #93 Acura is moving again.

26 minutes to go, as we've run 645 laps (2,296 miles). The restart will be a big deal in GTLM. It's anyone's race in the GT classes. Can Ricky Taylor move past the lapped cars? Andy Lally is now in the lane with his dog eared Acura, looking like a modified short track dirt car. The tires are being changed. There may be a gearshift or gear linkage issue. The sun has come out here at Daytona. How long has it been since we've been able to say that? BMW Team RLL has finally gotten their lap back! Augusto Farfus is at the wheel of the #19 BMW M6 GT. We may break the record for the lowest number of laps completed in the modern era.

668 laps (2,378 miles) were run in 2007. That's the lowest of the modern era. We are looking at this race being 661 or 662 laps. Filipe Albuquerque still leads Ricky Taylor. Staying clean and having pit teamwork were both crucial keys to this race. The weather was crazy. Ten hours worth of light and heavy rain. Be there in the morning. The top four are still there with 20 minutes left. Four GTLM cars are in the mix. The #66 car has had five minutes less time in the lane compared to it's competitors and the #90 for Prototypes. Ricky Taylor sweeps past Marc Goossens. Ford, Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette. Calado is close behind Pilet with no way through in the kink.

Dirk Mueller defends his position from Patrick Pilet. Filipe Albuquerque completes lap 647. There's nothing in it between #5 and #10! Ricky Taylor is coming, and fast! Into turn one, Taylor dives inside Albuquerque! Albuquerque runs wide, and they play dodge 'em cars! No position change in the end, but they were truly nose to nose. The Ford/Porsche GTLM battle is just an intense. Pilet closes on Mueller into the braking zone for the chicane. Mueller and Pilet have edged away from James Calado's Ferrari. Ricky Taylor locks the brakes into the International Horseshoe. Pilet is going to try Mueller on the outside line! He couldn't quite do it.

We work lap 650, (2,314 miles). We've had 40 lead changes throughout this race. Ricky Taylor is really pushing. He's right on Albuquerque's tail now. Mueller in the GTLM lead is balked by the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Ligier Prototype. One of the ESM Nissan's is also there. Patrick Pilet has to back off just a shade. Five cars still on the lead lap in GT Daytona. Plus, give a call to Alex Job Racing and their #23 Audi R8. They are just a lap down after being a ways down the order earlier, serving a two lap penalty for Townsend Bell earlier in the race.

Patrick Pilet gets a run into the tri oval on Dirk Mueller. Mueller still holds the edge. Albuquerque in the leading Cadillac lays down two identical laps at 1:37.24. With just over ten minutes to go, Taylor still can't make the decisive move on Albuquerque. In GT Daytona, Michael Christensen is finding speed in the #28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche he's shared all race with Jesse Lazare, Daniel Morad, and Carlos and Michael de Quesada. Christensen has pulled out the best first sector time the #28 has run all race. Christensen leads in GTD by 1.4 seconds over Christopher Mies. Less than ten minutes remain now and the battle is still between the Cadillac's.

Pilet gets balked again by Mueller at the International Horseshoe. The battle for fifth, sixth, and seventh in GTLM is the same as the lead as Porsche #912 splits Ford's #68 and #69. Filipe Albuquerque does have lapped traffic to contend with. If the leaders hit traffic on the banking, they'll be fine. They don't want to be held up in the road course section. We've had contact, between the two leaders! Albuquerque is off the road! Ricky Taylor has made a pass for the lead. Could this be for the win in the 55th Rolex 24? Let's see the replay of this one, chaps. Taylor was braking, but not sufficiently. Albuquerque moved in, and was spun, somehow. Wayne Taylor cannot believe his eyes! A man, who has won this Rolex 24 as a driver, twice, in 1996 and 2005.

Will the marshals have something to say about that move by the #10? Christopher Mies is trying to catch Michael Christensen in GTD, all the while, dealing with Alexander Sims in the #19 BMW M6 GT. 655 laps (2,332 miles) down. The Alubuquerque/Taylor fracas is under review. Five minutes to go. James Calado is moving in on Patrick Pilet, allowing Dirk Mueller to sprint away. Taylor went for a gap that was nonexistent to try and get by the #29 Audi and the #4 Corvette. He checked up big style, and still got through that shemozzle unscathed. Inside four minutes to go. The marshals may slap Taylor on the wrist for that argy bargy we just saw. Will it be a white flag the next time around? It may be.

Will Taylor risk being put back to second? We'll see I guess. Two minutes and 40 seconds to go. No further action on the incident involving the Cadillac's. Ricky Taylor leads the Rolex 24 by two seconds. Action Express won't be happy. Dirk Mueller extends his lead as Patrick Pilet fends off James Calado. No chance for Calado to answer into the chicane, with a minute and half left on the race clock. Two laps to go. Less than a minute to go. The white flag waves. Lap 657. One to go, which will make a total of 658 laps. The brand new Cadillac DPi-V-R- will win the Rolex 24. Twenty seconds left as James Calado is fighting to pass Patrick Pilet. Final lap. The clock reads zero.

The leaders are a second apart. Cadillac will win their first Rolex 24, as General Motors wins their seventh under four different brands. Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and now Cadillac. Wayne Taylor brought Oldsmobile the win in 1996. Now, his sons will bring a win, for Cadillac, 21 years later. Out of NASCAR turn four. This is it. Wayne Taylor Racing and Cadillac, win the Rolex 24 at Daytona by 0.671 seconds! Wow!

The GTLM battle is not done yet. Calado third, wants past Pilet for second. These two boys won't catch the Ford. Michael Christensen and company win GT Daytona for Alegra Motorsports and Porsche. Dirk Mueller will win in GTLM in the Ford GT which made it's debut here last year. The Porsche/Ferrari battle for second is yet to be decided. Who will do it? Ford will wear the roses in GTLM. Ford wins, and so close for second! Porsche nips Ferrari at the line. Calado gave it everything. Ford wins 52 years after the first of two overall wins for the Ford GT40 in 1966. Dallara scores their first win as a chassis constructor in 2002.

Overall/Prototype: #10 Taylor/Taylor/Angelelli/Gordon      Cadillac DPi-V-R-

            Prototype
            Challenge: #38 French/O'Ward/Masson/Boulle        Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet

           GT Le Mans: #66 Mueller/Hand/Bourdais                 Ford GT

          GT Daytona: #28 de Quesada/Morad/Lazare/de Quesada/Christensen     Porsche 911 GT3R

The Performance Tech Racing team of James French, Patricio O'Ward, Kyle Masson, and Nick Boulle take the last victory lap in Prototype Challenge at the Rolex 24. Ford wins GT Le Mans in the #66 car with Dirk Mueller, Joey Hand, and Sebastien Bourdais. In GT Daytona, Alegra Motorsports triumphs, with Carlos de Quesada, Daniel Morad, Jesse Lazare, Michael de Quesada, and Michael Christensen.

What a moment this must be for the Wayne Taylor Racing team! The whole team brings the Cadillac into victory lane. Such an accomplishment, for all of the winners, to triumph in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. What a thrill this overall win must be for the Taylor brothers, for three-time Daytona 500 winner and four-time NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Champion, Jeff Gordon, and for Max Angelelli, to win his second Rolex 24, and win in his final race as a driver. One of the wildest, most amazing 24 hour races that yours truly has ever witnessed here at Daytona.

Well deserved celebrations in victory lane, as we hear about the amazing work done by the cameramen who bring us wonderful pictures on television, especially Ray Wentzel Jr., a.k.a. "Rooftop Ray", the lead overnight cameraman. We will see you, in five weeks, for the 65th edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring, the next great endurance event of the season, and the second part of what is collectively known as "The 36 Hours of Florida". There were some controversial non-decisions in this race. But, that being said, the majority of this event, was a well run race by IMSA. Decisions have to be appropriate.

That's all, from Daytona. We'll see you on the fabled runways of Sebring, for the 12 Hours, next month. So long for now, everyone.

Rolex 24: Hour 23

Sam Bird's Ferrari has surely gone ka-blammo. That's a major dose of engine smoke. A mosquito killer, as they say. That's terminal engine damage and the rear wheels have locked into one position. So, Bird isn't going anyplace. Problems also, for the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3. Justin Marks is running eighth in class, before the car stopped. Cue the drama music. Ugh! It's lunchtime here at the Rolex 24, before we get ready for the end. Bring on the hot dogs! The pace has slowed down again, reducing the distance that has to be covered in the same 24 hour period. Sam Bird climbs disconsolately from the Ferrari, hands on the back of his head thinking, "we were so close! Car, you let me down!"

Bird had been pulling away and Alessandro Balzan, Christina Nielsen, and Matteo Cressoni ran very well. Cressoni drove like a demon. These are the defending GTD champions. No warning. The motor went pop on him. It's not over 'til it's over. The #96 BMW is towed to the garage. Mike Rockenfeller in the #3 Corvette might have a chance to get back into contention here. 601 laps, (2,139 and a half miles), in the books. The Nissan has been running a lot better than we thought, even though it is not the fastest car by any stretch. It's still there. We will have a GTLM car in the top five. Both leading Cadillac's (#10 & #5), come to pit lane. Fuel only for Action Express. Jordan Taylor is getting out of the #10. Ricky Taylor gets in. We have a lead change.

Some fluids were replaced in the car. Was it the start of that stop? Or, was the stop of that start? Yours truly isn't sure. Starworks can now pack it up. Both car #8 and car #88 are officially retired from this Rolex 24. Car #38, currently running 14th overall, will be uncontested to win in Prototype Challenge. That team is the only PC car left. Kyle Masson should take the victory, barring something dropping in from a parallel universe. Jules Gounon still leads GT Daytona over Jeroen Bleekemolen. Lawson Aschenbach and Stevenson Motorsports, are third in their Audi R8. Robin Liddell will bring that car home. Mark Wilkins is in the #93 Acura NSX. He's done some hero stints.

Tom Dyer is in the #86 machine. The #96 BMW M6 GT3 is back out on track, as we see the GT cars in the lane. All four Ford's pit, and so does the #3 Corvette. Antonio Garcia will get into the #3 car. The #62 Ferrari is also in the lane, as it is for the #29 Audi squad. Tires and fuel for Stevenson Motorsports and their Audi. The Corvette has beaten the Ford's, and also, the Ferrari. The #62 Ferrari beat the Ford's. U.S. based Ford's beat U.K. based Ford's out of the lane. Andrew Davis will drive the #57 Audi. Stevenson and Acura will be told by the marshals to swap places. The car in the fast lane has the right of way.

The #26 PC car has a drive through penalty. The #90 car stayed out. #90 does not have the pace of the Cadillac's by any means. Every pit stop for the #10 Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing, has been longer than the stops made by the Action Express Racing Cadillac, #5. There could be a penalty for one of the Porsche's because it ducked around the bollard in the pit lane. Kevin Estre may be the driver needing to take the penalty. Here is your list of official retirements, that you can mark off the entry list with your Sharpie of doom.

#24 BMW Team RLL BMW M6 GT           transmission
#14 3GT Racing Lexus RC F GT                 crash
#59 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3R     oil line/engine
#16 Change Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3     multiple crashes
#73 Park Place Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R    crash
#51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3    unsolvable misfire
#54 CORE Autosport Porsche 911 GT3R     crash
#50 Riley Motorsports - WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3    crash/crash damage
#21 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3     unsure Withdrawn
#88 Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet    a litany of problems
#8 Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet      a litany of problems
#55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda RT24P DPi                  fire
#27 Dream Racing Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3     crash
#81 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 Gibson     ran out of parts from crash damage
#75 SunEnergy Mercedes AMG GT3   crash/crash damage/stopped on track
#63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3    engine failure

Of the 55 starters, sixteen have retired, leaving 39 cars still on track, which for this race, is actually not all that much attrition.

We will go back to green in a minute or so. Rene Rast has done very, very well in this race. When there is rain, he's done well, and so has Renger van der Zande. One hour and 40 minutes remain. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor will chase Rene Rast on this restart. Antonio Garcia still leads GTLM. Dirk Mueller is second, and third, James Calado. Andy Lally has come to second in class in GTD passing Andrew Davis. It's #5 vs. #90 on the banking. Filipe Albuquerque takes the lead away from Rene Rast! Both Albuquerque and Rast will race for Audi in the DTM this year. Albuquerque is a DTM veteran.

Kyle Masson has a quick drive through penalty. Cadillac goes back to 1-2 as Ricky Taylor flies past Rene Rast. One of the Prototype Challenge cars, is smoking. Which one? Ah. The #26 machine of Trent Hindman is in trouble, again. The #912 Porsche and the #93 Acura may also see penalties coming their way. Stop and hold for car #26. Drive through penalty for #912. Dirk Mueller whistles by Antonio Garcia to take the class lead in GT Le Mans. A battle for third, the final podium place in GT Daytona between the Stevenson and Land Motorsports Audi's.

Connor De Philippi is in a podium place for the time being. The new generation Prototypes have much smaller fuel tanks as we may have mentioned earlier on in the race. They carry just 75 liters of fuel. We have an hour and a half left. Some real argy bargy between the #68 Ford GT and the #911 Porsche coming out of turn six. Pilet stuck his nose in where he shouldn't have, as the car ahead (the Ford), would have the right of way. There's no need to play dodge 'em cars this late in the race. Tire warmers should be used for a race like this. Reliability for the new cars will be something that will get better. There's been some wonderful racing.

GTD has had an amazing depth and a quality in competition. The Balance of Performance has worked well. GT Le Mans has been a bar brawl. After the scrap, they will all be friends. The #66 car has had something extra in the locker that it's used. It's been pretty amazing. A battle for position in GTD between the Land Motorsports Audi and the MSR Acura. Audi goes to second. Can he close three seconds to Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Mercedes Benz? We'll see. Dirk Mueller's pace has been very good in the #66 Ford. It's a battle for the lead, as we see both Cadillac's now side by side.

Ricky Taylor must be patient. Car #90 pits this lap. The lead battle is really heating up now. Taylor makes an inside pass on Albuquerque into the Bus Stop! He keeps the car off the grass as well. Wow! A decisive pass indeed. Albuquerque is not done yet. He wants to go inside into the first turn, but decides discretion is the better part of valor. GT Daytona traffic ahead could give Albuquerque another shot. Rene Rast pits and has to keep a podium place, staying ahead of the #2 Nissan. There will be fuel, and a driver change. Who is now in the #90? This is a full tank of fuel. Not sure who got in the car.

The #90 might be a bit short. Marc Goossens is now in the car. He has a lap in hand over Pippo Derani. Goossens might be lapped by the leaders. 46 laps in two stints, will be right on. But the Multimatic Riley will always be a lap or so short. Goossens has gone a lap down. So, he'll be in fuel saving mode. Stories and drama always happen here at Daytona. There could be a timed stop for the #10. A stealthy run late in the race by a GTD car is common in the recent runnings of the Rolex 24. The #28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R of Michael Christensen is that car now. 618 laps (bang on, 2,200 miles), complete. Ricky Taylor pulls out 2.3 seconds.

Connor De Philippi is catching Michael Christensen who is leading GT Daytona. #28 was a lap down and has now made up a whole lap. That will be a dark horse for the win in GTD. Patrick Pilet now has Antonio Garcia in his sights. This is the battle for third in GTLM. Dirk Mueller has the GTLM leading Ford GT in the top five with an hour and 20 minutes left. The Porsche is making a pass on the Corvette on the high side of the banking. Pilet takes the long way around Garcia, and makes the move! Oh dear! Pilet has undone all that hard work, running wide into turn one! That was a sacre bleu! moment for Pilet.

Problems again for the #13 Rebellion Oreca 07 Gibson. The team of Sebastien Buemi, Neel Jani, Nick Heidfeld, and Stephane Sarrazin has not had the race they've wanted at all. The #13 has it's engine cover off. The rear clip is off, in pit lane, too. It'd be best for them to take the car to the garage. They are on the same lap with another car that has had an equally fraught Rolex 24, the #31 Whelen Action Express Racing Cadillac of Seb Morris, sharing with Dane Cameron, Eric Curran, and Mike Conway. The top three runners in GTD are running right together. Jeroen Bleekemolen followed by Connor De Philippi, and Michael Christensen.

Could Alegra Motorsports pull off a class win here? We'll see. Double checking the figures, this might be 54 straight years of Porsche being on the podium at the Rolex 24. There might be a splash of rain around. The #31 Cadillac has just made a move in the lane around the #13 Rebellion car. This isn't over yet, ladies and gentlemen. Eight and a half seconds separates the top four in GTD. Dirk Mueller leads James Calado in GTLM. Bleekemolen holds the GTD lead as the Benz, Audi, and Porsche, battle. Bleekemolen continues to hold De Philippi and Christensen at bay.

This is the dawn of a new era in American sports car racing. We will lose the Prototype Challenge cars. But no one has been a factor in that category. The three other classes are more than enough to give us fabulous racing. We have a lead change in GT Daytona. Connor De Philippi gets around Jeroen Bleekemolen. The charge to the front is complete for #29. Jeroen Bleekemolen gets passed by the #912 GTLM Porsche with Laurens Vanthoor at the controls. Michael Christensen, too, is all over the Mercedes like a rash. Christensen will go inside Bleekemolen! He makes the pass! Bleekemolen is struggling for grip at the wheel of the Mercedes AMG GT3.

A lot of nerves on pit wall as both Cadillac pit crews are setting up for the final stops. #5 is in the lane. It will be getting right side tires. Four tires and fuel, actually. We also have debris on the track. That piece, is from the #66 Ford GT. It has the number right on it. Pits are now closed. Filipe Albuquerque gets out of the pits just as they close. Also, the #22 Nissan is stopped on track! #22 was at pit out and may have had a problem. Correction on the debris. That piece is not from the Ford. It is from the #93 Acura NSX. Andy Lally and Andrew Davis were scrapping, and Jeff Segal was booking it in the sister Acura #86.

The #13 Rebellion Oreca 07 is no longer in the lane, but cruising slowly on the apron of the oval. Sebastien Buemi at the controls. The car does not have much power it seems as the safety car is back on track again. The leading #10 Cadillac may have to make an emergency stop for a splash and dash. Ricky Taylor may need a stop. The #90 car gets a break and gets mileage to avoid the splash and dash. The debris is from the #93 and the whole front of the car is off of it. If contact was made to the Acura, it is on the right front of the car.

The right front corner of the car is loose. We are under yellow with just about an hour to go. The leader stays out. Ricky Taylor is on his 26th lap of his fuel stint. Do they have more in the tank? Next time around is when regular fuel stops will happen. The pits are closed, and the #10 will have to pit under yellow. One hour to go.

Rolex 24: Hour 22

A battle on the banking in GTD between Mercedes and Ferrari. DragonSpeed Racing wants to go to Le Mans this year. Meanwhile, the aforementioned GTD battle sees Mario Farnbacher and Sam Bird, dueling. The #81 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 is off the road at the Bus Stop chicane, and the driver is trying to restart it. The car has crunched the barriers someplace, as it is missing it's rear wing. This wreck happened under braking at turn six. Not sure the boys at DragonSpeed are going to have spare parts this time, and it may be game over for #81. Fuel and tires on a pit stop for the second place #66 Ford GT in GTLM. A driver change for the #33 GTD Mercedes. The #31 Cadillac, and the third place GTD #86 Acura is in the lane, too. A flurry of pit stops will happen. But, the pit lane is closed. #86 did not stop in it's pit box.

#81 heads to the garage. The #86 Acura NSX was coming in and decided to trundle through the pit lane. Paul Dalla Lana's #98 Aston Martin was meandering all over the road just now. We run under yellow. Corvette #4 hits the pit lane. Actually a couple cars pit for emergency service. The #4 and the #22 ESM car. The Audi R8 is not as fast on the straights as it is in the corners. The Ferrari 488 is the fastest car in GT Daytona. Horses for courses, is the philosophy. Some cars are better on some tracks while other cars are better on other tracks. We go to Sebring, Florida, for the 12 Hours of Sebring, in mid March, and it is another classic race that we look forward to.

We're still under yellow right now. We're going to be up to seven hours of cumulative time behind the safety car and over 100 laps of safety car time. The #11 Lamborghini just came out from behind the wall. That car has been in the wars the whole race, having to have made 27 pit stops. Sam Bird and company have made 29 stops, but some, have been to serve penalties. Pippo Derani has just pitted the #2 Nissan. James Dayson has pitted the #88 Starworks Prototype Challenge car, and Alex Popow took over the driving. We are currently on lap 568. This means, 2,022 miles have been completed. With the weather this year, no way will we see any kind of distance record.

Pippo Derani has gained one of his two laps back. The defending Rolex 24 champs, have had a challenging 2017 race. GT cars are making pit stops. One of the Porsche's is in the lane, along with Ferrari, one of the Corvette's and a number of the Ford GT's. #3 Corvette in the lane. Four tires and fuel. Mike Rockenfeller is now in the car. #69, #68, and #67, are in for Ford. The Ferrari is in and Toni Vilander will take over from James Calado. The Ford's have lost time after getting caught by the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3, and the Ford mechanics are fuming after getting their cars held up.

We have the standard distance (2 hours 45 minutes) of an IMSA sprint race, left to run. James Calado also gets in the faces of the Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini crew. Giancarlo Fisichella is in the Ferrari now. The #57 Stevenson Audi boxed in the #48 Lamborghini. So, it was a tough thing. A lot of pit stalls, for 55 cars. Years ago, 75-80 cars started this race. One of the factory GTLM Porsche's is in the lane. It's #912. That car gained one of two laps back, and it is one lap down to the GTLM leaders. Safety car dives for pit lane, and we restart with two hours, 40 minutes, left in the twice around the clock odyssey that is, the Rolex 24.

Cars are being released from the lane, including the #15 sole remaining Lexus, and possibly, the #991 Porsche 911 GT3 for The Racer's Group. The Racer's Group, won overall, at the Rolex 24, with a Porsche 911, back in 2003. The fastest GTLM lap set earlier in the race was the #66 Ford GT at 1:43.385. The four Ford's were fastest, followed by the Ferrari, the Porsche, and the Corvette. Hand and Rockenfeller are eight seconds apart. Fred Makowiecki is in the #911 Porsche. The fastest lap in car #67 was by Richard Westbrook, Tony Kanaan fastest in #69, Dirk Mueller in #66, and Stefan Mucke in #68. Giancarlo Fisichella has the fastest lap for the #62 Ferrari.

In the Porsche's #911 and #912, Fred Makowiecki, and Kevin Estre, have gone fastest in terms of lap times. In the Corvette's, the fastest laps they've run have been by Antonio Garcia, and Marcel Fassler. How many more pit stops are needed if it stays green? If it is green, two pit stops will suffice for the leading Cadillac's in Prototype. Make that three. Jordan Taylor leads Christian Fittipaldi by 3.1 seconds. Sam Bird has gone by Jeroen Bleekemolen for the GT Daytona lead. Jules Gounon is possibly back in second. Bleekemolen is third, followed by Lawson Aschenbach and Tom Dyer, followed by Mark Wilkins.

Joey Hand had an eight second advantage in GTLM, and he's stretched it to nine seconds. Mike Rockenfeller has his hands full with his rivals. The #20 Gas Monkey Prototype Challenge car, in the hands of Buddy Rice, has some damage, but is still pounding around. Giancarlo Fisichella has passed Harry Tincknell. The Ferrari 488 definitely has the straight line speed. The #18 DAC Racing Lamborghini has an issue on course, with Indy Lights driver Zachary Claman at the controls. Zachary is 18, and making his sports car debut in this race. Some of the top runners in GTLM are actually tussling for fifth place in the overall.

Alexander Sims in BMW #19 is a lap down to the rest of the GTLM leaders. Kevin Estre in Porsche #912 is a couple laps down too. We have exactly two and a half hours left. Fisichella tries Johnson and can't make it. Jordan Taylor leads Christian Fittipaldi by 5.1 seconds. There's a yin and yang between the top two Cadillac's as Rene Rast is third in the #90 Multimatic Riley, followed by Pippo Derani in the #2 ESM Nissan. Fisichella takes the #62 Ferrari off the road as he tries to pass Billy Johnson on the outside, but it didn't work. Billy Johnson forced him wide, slamming the door in Fisichella's face.

Fred Makowiecki is right behind Fisichella. 39 cars are still circulating on the speedway. Clumps of cars can form every few laps, that are far behind. But, this is an indication of perseverance of many teams. Jordan Taylor leads by 9.3 seconds as Giancarlo Fisichella has worked his way back to the Ford's with Fred Makowiecki behind. Sam Bird leads Jules Gounon and Jeroen Bleekemolen in GT Daytona. Lap times are now back to where they were at the beginning of the race. These chaps are pushing hard, and not cruising to the flag by any means. Pole time was 1:36.9, and Jordan Taylor cut a 1:38.2 last time by. More bodywork issues for the #29 Audi R8.

Audi #29 is second in GT Daytona. Maybe that car has also picked up debris on the front. These cars will be stripped and rebuilt at the end of the race. The Audi does not lose speed to the Mercedes on the banking. But both brands have just not had the straight line speed, compared to the Ferrari's. In about four minutes, Prototype teams can split the last part of the race into three 45 minute stints on fuel. Giancarlo Fisichella is now ahead of Harry Tincknell and Billy Johnson, putting him third in class. Mike Rockenfeller is trying to reel in Joey Hand, but in tenth in class, 31st overall, is Ryan Briscoe in the slower, fourth Ford GT.

Giancarlo Fisichella trails Mike Rockenfeller by 1.7 seconds. The #81 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 Gibson has retired from this race. Game over. No more spare parts. Taylor's lead over Fittipaldi balloons to 10.5 seconds. Wayne Taylor Racing vs. Action Express Racing. Visit Florida and their Multimatic Riley with Rene Rast, and Pippo Derani in the ESM Nissan DPi with it's 3.8 liter motor, is fourth overall. ESM car #22 is eighth in Prototype, 25th overall, with Bruno Senna driving. Giancarlo Fisichella blows away Alexander Sims in the "art car" #19 BMW M6 GT. Fisichella is challenging Rockenfeller into the International Horseshoe. No dice this time.

Car #90 is now in the pit lane. Tires and fuel, and Rene Rast will finish the race. Nose to tail between Jeroen Bleekemolen and Lawson Aschenbach right now. Car #90 went 23 laps on this most recent stint. A lot of that, has been under yellow. The Multimatic Riley does not have the fuel autonomy that the other Prototypes like the Cadillac's do. Jordan Taylor is booking it, leaving Christian Fittipaldi in the dust. Ford, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Ford is the order in GTLM. Don't count out Ryan Briscoe, even though he's a number of laps down. #5 Cadillac is in the lane. Christian Fittipaldi gets out of the car, and a driver change takes place.

BMW #19 pits. #19 will have a new driver. The #10 Cadillac will pit and Jordan Taylor should stay at the wheel. Fuel and tires only. New sticker Continental tires. Here's the fuel mileage breakdown. Rene Rast in the #90 Multimatic Riley, can run 23 laps in a stint. Each Cadillac can go two laps longer, as both #5 and #10 ran 25 lap fuel stints. Well, factor in a caution period, to give them extra mileage. BMW #19 had a quick pit stop. The GTLM battle continues to simmer. The #2 Nissan had gotten back to the lead lap, briefly, before Jordan Taylor went by, putting it another lap down. Taylor works his 595th lap, equaling 2,118 miles.

Ricky Taylor may get in the #10 before the end of the race. Jeroen Bleekemolen and Lawson Aschenbach continue to scrap in GT Daytona. The #2 ESM Nissan has pitted. Pippo Derani stays in the car, and fuel and tires are added. The two Acura's are nose to tail. #86 ahead of #93. Sam Bird still leads GT Daytona. 573 laps, (2,040 miles) done by the GTD leader. Again, Jeroen Bleekemolen is still driving Mercedes #33. A quick spin for the #85 JDC Miller Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson in the chicane. The Swiss driver, Mathias Beche is at the controls. That car runs fifth in Prototype, 13th overall.

Jordan Taylor leads Rene Rast now, by 20.4 seconds. Pippo Derani is third. We see the #38 Performance Tech Motorsports Prototype Challenge car coming out the pits. Kyle Masson is totally unchallenged, with a 30 some odd lap lead over both BAR1 Motorsports entries. Don Yount is at the wheel of car #20, and Trent Hindman, at the wheel of car #26. No real battle in Prototype Challenge. Jordan Taylor still holds the lead. If the race stays green, the Cadillac's will need to stop for a splash and dash, six laps or so before the end. Car #90 will also definitely have to pit. Giancarlo Fisichella is running really well and trails Joey Hand just by 3.4 seconds for the GT Le Mans lead. The #63 GTD Scuderia Corsa Ferrari has spun.

Never mind. Sam Bird, has stopped, and there was a lot of smoke out of the back of the Ferrari. Jules Gounon in the #29 Audi takes the GT Daytona class lead. Jeroen Bleekemolen in second, and Lawson Aschenbach in third. Smoke is coming from the motor. A full course yellow. A dramatic end to hour 22 as we try and find out what happened to cause the motor to seize up on the #63 Ferrari.

Rolex 24: Hour 21

Drama to start the 21st hour. The #55 Mazda is on fire coming down pit lane! This looks like an oil fire as the crewman with the fire bottle puts it out. The #90 Visit Florida Multimatic Riley was in the lane at the same time for slick tires. Rene Rast is now driving. It looks like it is game over for Mazda #55. Meanwhile, in the wars once again, it is the pink Starworks Prototype Challenge car. This is car #8 running fifth and last in class. Another full course yellow. The weather is a mixed bag at the moment. We are back under yellow and have more info (perhaps), on the fire, that has put Mazda Prototype #55 out of this race.

It's an oil fire, and the oil is still leaking. An oil line came off, or, something split in the engine itself. Game over for Mazda, even though they were running extremely well. They worked real hard and they de-tuned the cars for the race. Mazda #70 is still out there pounding around. There's a level of disappointment as IMSA officials still need to work out Balance of Performance for these brand new cars. It isn't realistic to have all of them be equal, right now. But, with GT Daytona, we have nine brands, and three new makes. We've had 15 leaders, and seven of the nine makes lead. Two of them (Aston Martin and Lamborghini), were as high as second in class. We have less than four hours to go, and we have two cars in the top four that aren't Cadillac's. The #90 Multimatic Riley is still in there. The fastest car does not always win.

If van der Zande had slowed down more, he wouldn't have had the drive through penalties he was assessed. The 11th place Lamborghini in GTD has a wobbly tire. It was not shredded. It was not flat. It was wobbly, and appeared more like an inner tube that you swim with at a beach or swimming pool, than a flat tire. Said wobbly tire, was changed. James Calado passes Joey Hand in GTLM. He did so just before the yellow appeared. The #68 Ford GT is back on the lead lap. James Calado, Joey Hand, Antonio Garcia, Dirk Werner, Harry Tincknell, and Billy Johnson. All those drivers are on the lead lap.

We've seen well over 50 lead changes in GT Daytona. Andy Lally leads the class in the #93 Michael Shank Racing Acura NSX. Mario Farnbacher, Tom Dyer, Robin Liddell, Christopher Mies, and Sam Bird, they are the top six pilots in GT Daytona, all on the same lap. Scott Sharp has brought the #2 ESM Nissan DPi into the lane. The #33 Mercedes has run a fastest lap at 1:47.8, and they are close to the fastest lap which is 1:47.2. Balance of Performance with the GTD cars is very well matched. Cars make speed in different ways, but, the lap times are very close and very consistent. 21 cars within a second on a minute and six second lap. Wow!

A lot of the drivers are actually having a blast out there racing. These cars are all equal, being driven by different drivers, even though they are different cars. It's almost like a 1960s Formula Ford race. Pit stop time for GTD cars. Both Acura's are in. The Nissan and Mazda cars are being more conservative on their engine mapping to ensure reliability for the end of the race. For a brand new car, that's how things will work. ESM did the endurance races last year and went for wins. But this year, they are going for a full championship. Many course vehicles have been at NASCAR turn four. Loads of oil was chucked out of the Mazda when it caught fire.

All of the oil, may be on pit lane, when the motor was getting sick. Everyone has gone back to slick tires for the most part. We've seen all of the rain. Slick tires are the way to go, but watch out for lack of grip off the racing line. So much of this race has been in the wet, teams will have as many slick tires as they want. This is indeed a new era of IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. We are still cleaning the oil up from the Mazda. Porsche #912 pits for slick tires. No driver change. Four tires and fuel. Pits were open for everyone. The Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini, and the pink Starworks car have pitted too. Kevin Estre is driving car #912.

The previous stop for that car was longer than expected. Maybe they've been working on the brakes, the Porsche GT Team. Jordan Taylor and Christian Fittipaldi are 1-2 on the restart. Jordan Taylor takes the lead. 551 laps (1,962 miles), completed. Four Prototypes lead six GTLM cars. Ferrari, Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche, the top four in GTLM. Alexander Sims is the only GTLM BMW M6 GT still in the race, and is seventh in class. Caution timing has not been good to BMW as far as getting their lap back. Porsche #912 may have had a penalty. It's still a mystery.

We have a lead change for GTLM. Joey Hand takes the lead from James Calado, as Pippo Derani pits for a drive through penalty. James French in the #38 Performance Tech Racing car, leads Prototype Challenge. It is the only PC car in the top 30. Marcel Fassler is gaining ground in the #4 Corvette moving from 40th overall to 25th. More issues for the #26 Prototype Challenge car, into the tire barriers. Trent Hindman goes wide on an outlap. A Corvette recovers from a spin at turn one. Trent Hindman won the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season opener the Friday before the Rolex 24 driving a Porsche Cayman GT4 Club Sport with co-driver, Cameron Castles. You will hear about that race in a highlight link. Stay tuned, later on.

Joey Hand now passes James Calado for the GTLM lead. In the dry, the Ford is superior. Not in the wet, though. So, the race could be coming back to Ford. Maybe the Porsche's have found an advantage in the. Marcel Fassler spun the #4 Corvette. He had run a 1:57.8 lap. Another yellow, as the Prototype Challenge car of Trent Hindman, needs to be rescued. Well, Hindman has now backed the car up. He is trying to drive the car across the infield grass and has to apply opposite lock, so he does not spin the automobile. This could be a quick yellow, thankfully. It will be a short yellow and the pits will be closed. The field bunches up behind the safety car and no wave by will be necessary.

Taylor, Fittipaldi, and Rast, the top three. It's hard not to be distracted by these chaps out on Lake Lloyd who are doing water hover boarding 20 feet in the air with water spraying out from underneath their hover boards to keep them suspended in the air. Pretty amazing. Again, in GTLM it's Hand, Calado, Garcia, Tincknell, the top four. Trent Hindman has brought his car to the lane, caked in mud. Johnny Mowlem will take over the car. The nose will be replaced and the mud will be cleaned off the car. We have a restart and are underway once again with the two Cadillac's still leading this motor race.

As the safety car entered pit lane, the leader, passed it. Now, will that mean a penalty for Ricky Taylor in the #10 Cadillac? We'll find out. James Calado and Antonio Garcia are left to scrap for second place as Joey Hand has put some daylight between himself in the Ford, and the Corvette/Ferrari scrum. The gap between Taylor and Fittipaldi is 2.8 seconds. Joey Hand puts a lap on the #911 Porsche with Dirk Werner at the controls. Hold on a second. Actually, it may have been Kevin Estre. He is in car #912. Jeff Gordon has only driven the #10 for two hours. Will he drive again? Or will he let Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, and Max Angelelli keep driving? He might get in for one more stint later on.

Gordon has done his minimum drive time. Ricky Taylor and Jeff Gordon are both in pit lane and either of them might actually drive. Jeff Gordon has driven three stints. Joey Hand is being caught by James Calado. Antonio Garcia and Harry Tincknell are coming. So, the GTLM battle is heating up, as Mario Farnbacher still leads Robin Liddel in GTD. Sam Bird has also passed Liddell for second in class. Tom Dyer and Christopher Mies are right in there and so is Katherine Legge in the second Acura. Tom Dyer is making his debut in pro sports car racing. He started out in open wheel cars, and did race in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The top four GTLM cars are together, and yes, you could throw the proverbial blanket over them.

We work lap 557. 1,983 miles into the race. All four of the GTLM cars have been closing in on each other. How much fuel have these chaps saved? The fourth place car is not Harry Tincknell. It is actually the #67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe, tenth in GTLM, and 32nd in the overall. Tincknell is closing on Garcia. One of the Lamborghini's bails out of the way. That's the GRT Grasser entry. Ryan Briscoe might be a distraction to try and pull Harry Tincknell to the front group in GT Le Mans. Briscoe tries on Garcia, but can't pass. Ford has a slight advantage in the dry.

The nearer the sharp end you are in GTLM, pit stops will be close, because the drivers have been out for a range between 23 and 26 laps. The GTLM fight is still hot, even if the cameramen are showing us the battle between the Audi and the Acura in GTD. Come on, Mr. Director! Johnson seems to be ahead of Tincknell. Billy Johnson has indeed passed Tincknell. Those cars need to be confirmed across the timing beam at the end of sector one. Tincknell did pass Johnson, it appears. Calado drafts Hand on the back straight towards the Bus Stop.

No. This is in the tri oval. Calado's nipped him. It's a five car train (six cars) in GTLM. Wow! Four Ford's, a Corvette, and a Ferrari, which is at the head of the queue. Echoes of Le Mans last year, between Risi Competizione and CGR. Antonio Garcia has to pass Ryan Briscoe and get to Joey Hand. Briscoe is going to go on defense and protect Joey Hand. He'll be the wing man for his fellow Ford team mate. Hand is on the 31st lap of his stint. The leading Prototypes of Jordan Taylor and Christian Fittipaldi will pit. In fact, Fittipaldi is in the lane. Every second counts now with just over three hours left.

The #90 Riley Multimatic pits and so does the Stevenson Audi. Fuel only for car #90. The #81 DragonSpeed Prototype is also in. Nicolas Lapierre, out. Ben Hanley, in. The #10 Cadillac is in. Fuel only. No tires. No driver change. Rene Rast is in the #90 car, still third overall. Jordan Taylor extended his lead to 11.6 seconds under the caution. Before that, he was only 1.4 seconds ahead. Car #10 has an edge, and does so on fuel as well. The Wayne Taylor Racing crew had a longer stop than did the Action Express team.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Rolex 24: Hour 20

Scott Sharp gets going again, as the battle for the lead could be decided on pit lane. The #81 Dragonspeed Oreca is in the lane. Ah. Barbosa, is going to pit now. Fuel and tires, both, for Barbosa. No driver change. The #10 WTR Cadillac can go an extra lap on fuel compared to the #5 Action Express machine. Another Prototype in the lane. It is the #10. The #86 Acura NSX does a full service stop coming in from the GT Daytona lead. Tires and fuel for #10, and Max Angelelli stays at the wheel. These are sticker rain tires, meaning they are fresh and have the sticker still on the tread. Angelelli down and away. #2 is taking fuel only.

The track seems to be beginning to dry out. Who will jump first, to slick tires? The #57 GT Daytona Audi is in the lane as Max Angelelli has an off course moment. Angelelli is having trouble with keeping the Cadillac on the blacktop. No heat in the tires. Angelelli is still in the overall lead, but maybe Joao Barbosa passed. He did. Angelelli has lost a huge chunk of time. No one has intermediate tires. You have one compound of either a slick or a wet. Toni Vilander is still second in GTLM in the #62 Ferrari. He has 515 laps and 1,833 miles on the board. Fuel only for the #33 Mercedes leading GT Daytona. One of the visors was not down on a crew member, and ever thorough team boss Bill Riley notices that. Adam Christodoulou is down and away. The #15 Lexus RC F GT3 has spun. Jack Hawksworth at the controls.

#15 is fighting it's way back. He got a wheel offline into the West Horseshoe. Full course yellow is out now. Johnny Mowlem (like Max Angelelli), is calling it a career after this Rolex 24. Mowlem was offered the opportunity to race at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and he politely declined. The lead battle has closed up. Renger van der Zande can get back into contention, as he didn't pit under this yellow. Jack Hawksworth did get back on the track with the #15 Lexus. Ugh! We have a crash under full course yellow! It's the #27 Dream Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 that has smashed into the barriers.

Cedric Sbirrazzuoli has wrecked the car coming out of turn one, and it's steaming in the esses madly. He has pulled off at turn six before the road course joins with the high banks. Sbirrazuoli has not crashed. The radiator may be busted, though. This car caught fire on it's first pit stop on Saturday. Could central tire ovens for every few pits. IMSA Radio announcer John Hindhaugh suggests he could go into that business. Hindhaugh Tire Warming, Inc. This race is so different compared to other races. IMSA may be thinking about the idea right here and right now. Lamborghini #27 arrived backwards at turn six.

The #90 car pits, and Renger van der Zande stays in the car. Fuel only. #90 is now on full tanks. Renger van der Zande has already driven for two hours and ten minutes. Alessandro Balzan has been charging in GT Daytona. Reliability among the Prototype cars is just about at 100%. GTLM and GTD cars are pitting now. Harry Tincknell takes over the #69 Ford GT, as well as tires. Antonio Garcia is now in the #3 Corvette. The #62 Ferrari is very close to the Porsche 911's coming out of the pits. #911 has to give way to the cars in the acceleration lane. Will the driver incur a penalty? Toni Vilander was scored as the GTLM leader at the start/finish line as the line is halfway down pit lane. #62 cedes the position to Dirk Werner in the #911 Porsche.

Frankie Montecalvo in the #23 Alex Job Racing Audi R8 is off the road in the International Horseshoe. The top two GTD cars also pit. The #93 Acura NSX had an extended stop. The #96 BMW M6 GT was in the lane as well, as was the #63 Ferrari. The #63 crew was ready with tires and fuel, and Matteo Cressoni is set to get in the car, but Christina Nielsen was sent out to do another lap, and maybe she is aiming to get points for maximum drive time before Cressoni has another stint. Nielsen needs four hours, maximum. The plot thickens.

Adam Christodoulou is now in the lead of GTD over the #86 Acura with Tom Dyer at the wheel. Christina Nielsen does four hours and 57 minutes, and has to do five hours bang on. So, she needs three more minutes. She'll pit this lap. MSR went to slicks on the Acura. Max Angelelli gets a big jump at the restart and goes around the outside of Joao Barbosa. Angelelli leads Barbosa and van der Zande. Porsche, Corvette, and Ford, all battle for GTLM honors on the restart. Kevin Estre looks to pass Joey Hand. Antonio Garcia is getting help from team mate Marcel Fassler as car #4 is laps down for the Corvette team.

Toni Vilander moves from fifth to fourth. Vilander runs wide on the entry to the Bus Stop. How Vilander didn't crash into others around him, I don't know. Vilander was second in class. The #63 pitted and now, Matteo Cressoni is at the wheel. #63 got tires and a splash of fuel. Corvette and Ferrari battle for eighth overall which is third place in the GTLM class. Vilander tries Antonio Garcia again. Joey Hand leads but by just a tenth of a second over Estre. Vilander goes down low to attempt to pass Garcia. They are side by side having overtaken the third in GTD #57 Stevenson Audi. Vilander holds the inside line into turn one.

The Acura #93 is on slicks with Andy Lally driving. He's held the street luge downhill speed record at 100 miles an hour. Toni Vilander takes another spot away, this time from Dirk Werner. There's a timing glitch with Porsche #912. It isn't stopped on the road. It is still out there racing. Vilander is second. Porsche #912 is between Ford #69 and it's sister car, in front of the #3 Corvette. #911 has dropped between Harry Tincknell and Werner. It looks like the rain has stopped. The #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini either ran wide or spun. Not sure who is at the wheel.

Porsche #991 in GTD for The Racer's Group is in the pit lane, with a flat right rear tire. Acura #86 and Mercedes #75 are all over the Bus Stop. #75 cuts across the grass. Andy Lally is lapping very well and within times of the rain tire shod cars as the leading #10 Cadillac spins! Angelelli has to do some off road racing to get back to the high banks. Joao Barbosa is now right behind Angelelli. The #10 has crud all over the tires. He got his left rear tire onto the painted curb at the Bus Stop. That wet curb is like ice, and he just looped the car. The yellow paint does not provide much traction.

If tire warmers were needed, the cost vs. benefit is the big deal. The ACO uses tire warmers. They are not inexpensive, though. Neel Jani says that the tire warmers are needed for a safety measure. It's unusual because here at Daytona it is wet, and cold. The #66 Ford GT pits. Hand will stay in the car, and slick tires are the order of the day. Prototype Challenge cars will stay on wets, and then, everyone else is going for slicks. Audi #57 hits the lane as well. Harry Tincknell takes the GTLM lead in Ford #69 as Ferrari #62 makes a pit stop. Slick tires for the Ferrari, and a driver change. It's a roll of the dice. Check that. Vilander is still in the car. Slick tires and fuel.

Toni Vilander will have to fight an ill handling Ferrari for a little while. Vilander follows the #23 GT Daytona Alex Job Racing Audi R8 of Frankie Montecalvo. It's 47 degrees Fahrenheit air temperature now. The #63 Ferrari pits, out of sequence. The #10 Cadillac is also going to dive for pit lane. Sam Bird is now driving the #63 and is out on slicks. Both leading Cadillac's have hit the pit lane. Both will have slick tires. Christian Fittipaldi will drive #5 and Jordan Taylor will drive #10. Oil is being added to #10. The #69 Ford GT went across the grass to get to the lane. The #5 Cadillac spins in the International Horseshoe. Christian Fittipaldi could not get the car turned in the hairpin. He didn't have the patience to wait for heat in the tires. There's no track temperature at all.

Be really patient. Don't carry too much speed into the corner. Harry Tincknell in the #69 Ford GT goes across the infield grass to enter pit lane. This is deemed an illegal pit entry tactic, because he didn't come in between the two cones that designate the actual entrance to the pit lane itself. The #2 ESM Nissan DPi spins at the exit of the International Horseshoe, with Scott Sharp at the controls. Car #62 is charging, but we are not sure who it is who took over the car. Well, then, it was Toni Vilander who stayed in the car. In GTLM, Joey Hand still leads over Toni Vilander. Joey Hand has not stopped for slicks. Correction. James Calado is now in the #62 car. Harry Tincknell gets a drive through penalty.

The sun stripe that should say Ford on that top of the windscreen just says F on it. Every two pit stops it seems like these blokes are in rallycross where you take a joker lap and do a bit of off road racing. Tincknell rejoins. Renger van der Zande leads the motor race overall. The Rebellion Oreca Gibson is off the road at the International Horseshoe. Neel Jani at the controls.

Rolex 24: Hour 19

Six hours to go, as we are under another caution shortly after 8:30 A.M. Ricky Taylor leads the safety car crocodile. 491 laps complete (1,748 miles). Some cars are catching up to the safety car. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari has a quick off and on due to understeer. Cadillac remains 1-2. But, the #90 Multimatic Riley has continued to charge. There's more stress on the Cadillac than there is on the Riley. Think about this for a second. If you wanted to buy a secondhand prototype race car, (say for vintage races), would you buy the Cadillac, or the Riley? Yours truly, might buy the Riley because it's been cared for slightly better. One pre-owned race car, only used for the weekend. We are into daylight here at Daytona International Speedway.

This is the 14th full course yellow of the race. Giancarlo Fisichella is in fifth place, in GTLM. Both the leading and second place Cadillac's are in the pits, and many other cars are also taking advantage of the yellow to pit. A driver change in the #10 Cadillac, as now, the #5 Cadillac has taken the lead in pit lane. There was an issue for #10. Joao Barbosa leads Ricky Taylor, and he almost ended up going slow out of the lane. The GT Daytona teams are having to be careful with the traction control. Anti lock brakes are also taking a beating. Both Continental and Michelin have had a hard time getting their tires up to temperature. The trouble is, if you don't scrub in the wets and get rid of the silica based release agents (a non stick solution), the cars will slide all over the road.

Prototypes are not getting much mechanical grip and not much aero help unless they are driving faster. The #911 Porsche is in pit lane. This is the GTLM class leader. It is GT pit stop time under yellow. Ford #66 and Corvette #3 have been serviced, as the Corvette nearly came together with Mercedes #33. #66, #3, #62, #911, and #912, is the top five in GT Le Mans. No tire warmers are allowed in IMSA. The tires are stone cold. Tire blankets or tire ovens would help warm the tires and also the wheel rim which would radiate heat. The Bus Stop chicane is closed right now.

The #26 Prototype Challenge car that brought out our current yellow, has been repaired. Joao Barbosa is back in the race lead at this stage. Scott Sharp pits the #2 Nissan DPi and is back on the lead lap. The Nissan DPi is built by Ligier. Loic Duval in the #81 Oreca is the best of the Oreca's but is sixth in Prototype and way down in 14th in the overall. The global P2 cars are quick, but have had their problems. Joao Barbosa leads the field back to green flag racing as one of the GTD cars goes off the road at the International Horseshoe. Some contact headed towards the kink, has dislodged and let loose some bodywork from one of the cars.

Cadillac is slow right now, but we see the #88 Prototype Challenge car for Starworks, spun around. This team's dreadful race, continues. The car is fourth in Prototype Challenge, pretty much the last car in the category. Toni Vilander in the #62 Ferrari has gone past the #10 Cadillac. Is Ricky Taylor missing a gear, or having trouble shifting the car? A major wiggle for the #911 Porsche. In the meantime, now the #8 Starworks PC car spins! No replays, folks. Both Starworks machines have taken a turn on the whirlygig.

Car #26 takes a penalty and the #28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche was also off the road earlier. The #90 car has now caught the #10. Toni Vilander has been passed by the #10 Cadillac again. Deja vu. Renger van der Zande cannot pass the Ferrari. Tire temperature is the trouble. In GT Daytona it is Acura #93 vs. Audi #57. Ryan Hunter-Reay in the #86 Acura leads the #33 Mercedes with Adam Christodoulou at the controls, by three seconds. Apologies, chaps. I am just as confused as Graeme Goodwin from IMSA Radio is. It is Andy Lally in the sister #93 Acura who is leading the aforementioned #33 Benz.

Sebastien Bourdais is sixth overall in the #66 Ford GT. The #2 ESM Nissan is not back on the lead lap. Renger van der Zande gets sidways through the first turn. Max Angelelli is lapping quicker than Joao Barbosa. The top five in GTLM are separated by less than five seconds. In GTD, the top five are separated by less than ten seconds. The top five in GTLM are Ford, Porsche, Ferrari, Porsche, Chevrolet. The top speeds are really fast, even in the wet. This is half dry/half wet, and that's even more of a risk than full wet conditions on the road. It's hard to pick your braking point. Toni Vilander in the #62, slides wide, and Laurens Vanthoor drives around him. Check that, it's Patrick Pilet passing Toni Vilander.

Sebastien Bourdais is moving ahead. Drivers are full tilt on the banking, but in the corners, there is no touching the brakes in the wet. They are letting the cars coast through the corners. The wet makes a race mentally demanding and less physically demanding. Vilander sticks a pass on Pilet in the West Horseshoe. Sebastien Bourdais continues to lead in GT Le Mans. We keep an eye on Toni Vilander. Ford #66 will lap Ford #68 in the hands of Stefan Mucke in seventh. Patrick Pilet and Laurens Vanthoor will pass by both Stefan Mucke and Tony Kanaan in the European based Ford GT's. Renger van der Zande will bring the #90 car to pit lane for fuel. He may stay in the car, or allow Rene Rast to take over.

The #86 Acura NSX has been at the sharp end for a number of hours. One or either of them have been running in the top three. One of the Starworks entries comes back to the race. Max Angelelli continues to chase Joao Barbosa. Angelelli goes around the #26 PC car, now in the hands of Johnny Mowlem. No one is really in control of this race. The #90 car is not quick enough to keep up with the leading Cadillac's. Those two are going to go as fast as they can, and see if advantages fall into their hands. #912 passes #911 for position in GTLM. Another spin for the Starworks car, as the leaders are together in the hairpin. They head to the West Horseshoe.

Max Angelelli is closing on Joao Barbosa. Angelelli does not want another second at Daytona, in his final career race. The #98 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is 18th in class and 41st overall, with Marco Sorenson at the wheel of it. They've had a fraught race for sure. The Aston Martin ran as high as second in GT Daytona before hitting trouble. Tommy Milner puts the #33 Mercedes AMG GT3 down another lap. Max Angelelli is absolutely flooring it right now. Matt Bell has done great things when he's been at the wheel of the #57 Audi along with team mates Lawson Aschenbach, Andrew Davis, and Robin Liddell. Both Starworks cars have rejoined the race.

A local yellow flag is out somewhere. The leaders lap past the #22 ESM Nissan Ligier DPi. Barbosa and Angelelli are still scrapping. Search for grip on the outside line where there's rubber laid down. The rain has stopped. We might just have teams rolling the dice and going to slick tires, very soon. The track might still be greasy out there. If you are struggling to get temperature into wet tires, trying to do the same with slicks, will be even harder. Renger van der Zande came to the pits, and now, he's off the road on his out lap. He's gone off at the International Horseshoe. He's right on the edge of the road! Wow.

Scott Sharp is now on the same lap in the #2 Nissan DPi as van der Zande is. van der Zande has no grip anyplace. There used to be a concrete wall in turn one on the road course, but it is no longer there. Alessandro Balzan closes on Andy Lally for fourth in GT Daytona, in a fight for position in class. Acura vs. Ferrari. Matt Bell is still chasing Adam Christodoulou as #88 spins again, at the same spot it did before, with James Dayson at the controls. What a pear shaped race for these folks. Max Angelelli wants to dive down the inside of Joao Barbosa, but there is no room for him to do so. Cadillac has history at Daytona, going back to their early LMP program back in 2000. A lot of testing of the Northstar LMP was done at Daytona.

Max Angelelli was one of the drivers of the LMP Cadillac. The pace is coming down. Laps are being run in the 1:53-1:54 range. Adam Christodoulou has become a very solid endurance sports car racing driver. He has fended off the challenge of Matt Bell and is close behind the leader in class. Adam Christodoulou raced in 2010 in the old Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Alessandro Balzan passes Andy Lally for fourth in GT Daytona. Alessandro Balzan is one of those guys who doesn't say a lot. He just gets in the car and does the driving. Balzan goes by the #3 Corvette in GT Le Mans as well.

GTD, GTLM, Prototype, three wide in the tri oval. The Corvette of Jan Magnussen passed Balzan at that three wide moment. Joao Barbosa and Max Angelelli get even closer together. Car #90 running third in the overall is about to be lapped by the leading Cadillac's. Barbosa has to drive offline, to get past two GT Daytona cars into turn one on the road course! Wow! Angelelli tries the inside. No dice. Angelelli can't pass Barbosa. The Nissan DPi is off the road. That's car #2, which has picked up one of the Continental Tire billboards as well, carrying it on the front of the car. He loses the billboard, but swerves right in front of the #19 GTLM BMW M6! Wow! Whoever is driving #19 had to take evasive action.

The billboard is on driver's right in the short chute between turns five and six. So, the end of hour 19 sees a little drama.